Dollhouse
by Ohsnapitzmik
Summary: Everyone thinks that we're perfect, please don't let them look through the curtains. schizophrenic!Danny
1. dollhouse

**Dollhouse**

**_Disclaimer, I don't own DP_**

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_Based off the song 'Dollhouse' by Melanie Martinez_

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_Full Summary_

_AU, Were Danny lives with his 'picture perfect family'. What more could you want when you have friends, your parents have money, and your life seems in order? Danny has to deal with the fact that his family is not picture perfect, far from it. Who better to help him deal with this than an old college buddy?_

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My feet click down the tile halls, heel toe, heel toe. Neatly polished shoes match the newly pressed pants and matching shirt. My backpack was worse for wear, the patchy purple bag hanging on it's last thread of life. Due to my demands to keep the ancient old piece of material.

I was severely regretting that decision as my bag dumped for the umpteenth time that morning. Books and binders shoved under my arms I managed to unlock my locker and shove in as many things as possible before hurrying down the hall. The late bell had rang for the last time reminding me of my misfortune.

First my alarm thought it was a good morning to keep silent leading to my missed breakfast. Second, my old backpack chose this very day to give up on it's expanded life and fall apart in the middle of the street, leading to my very awkward shuffle to school. It was just very bad luck that I had a test during first period. Lancer's going to have my butt.

I came to a halt at room 203, pausing before turning the knob. Mr Lancer barely spared me a glance as he handed me a detention slip as I slunk into my seat. It was just bad luck that I knew no one in this class. Leaving this to be a very boring forty minutes of my day.

The bell rang at what felt like much later than usual. Lancer collected our papers from our desks and I could help but sigh. My failure of a test sat on my desk half finished, with mostly scribbled answers. I guess it was my own fault. Staying up late playing _Doomed _online had it's consequences.

Life seemed to take pity on me as the day passes by at a much more reasonable pace. I soon found myself sitting at our table outside, under an oak that us three claimed as our own. Tucker was the first one there, already digging into his burger.

"Hey dude!" Tucker greeted around a mouthful of food. I offered him a smile to hide my slight disgust at lack of manners.

"You see Sam around? She wasn't in third period." I ask, picking at my food. Tucker shrugged. I could tell by his new glasses and vest that he'd been shopping. Something that he didn't do often.

"Last I heard she got in trouble with the principle, something about frogs."

"That's rough," I say just as the said girl jogged up behind me.

"Hey." Sam said, a bit breathless, as she took her seat across from Tucker, her purple dress flaring behind her. We look at her expectantly as she digs into her salad.

Tucker is the first to lose his patients. "So?"

She looked up. "'So' what?"

The darkest kid nearly smacks his forehead. "What's this about you smuggling frogs?"

I nearly choke on my drink. "What?"

They both ignore me. Sam puts on a rather proud look on and sits a bit straighter in her chair. "Oh that, it's nothing to gossip about really. I just happen to know some guys who were more than willing to help me release some animals in need."

"You smuggled frogs from biology class!" Tucker exclaimed. "How are science experiments animals in need, they have literally nothing better to do."

Sam narrowed her eyes. "Nothing better to do that be cut up by humans who think they control animal rights? I think not! It is inhumane and there are multiple of other, _harmless, _substitute."

"Oh right, what're we going to use, gummy frogs?" He scoffed.

"I was thinking about something more mechanical actually." The goth smirked, and we knew at that moment she had another plot up her sleeve.

"Wait, before you pull us into one of your crazy plans," I said, "how much trouble did you get in with the school."

"Eh, nothing more than lunch clean up and then some. Something I know we'd all enjoy."

Tucker and I shared a collective groan, knowing there was no way of getting out of it. We then cleaned up our lunches and headed for the brooms.

We spent the remainder of the day helping out with Sam's after school punishments, a small price to pay for our close friendship. It wasn't all too bad, and I was in no rush to head home.

All too soon I came face to face with our large brick house, with three too many levels. I had yet another battle with my backpack while opening the door and settled for dropping it in the closet, fully intent of buying a new one for next year. I didn't bother announcing that I was home, it was a slick chance that they'd even noticed I was late.

I grabbed an apple from the fridge and set up toward my room, quickly plopping on my bed. I was fully settled with sitting on my laptop wasting hours when my sister banged on the door.

"Danny! Mom wants to see you!" She hollered.

I gave her an 'okay,' and heard her stomp down the stairs. It was odd that my mom would want to see me, her and my dad spent most of their time in their offices, going over business work they one day hoped I would take over.

I found my mom sitting at the kitchen table, next to my dad who was face deep in his food.

"You wanted to see me?"

She looked up and gesture to a seat next to her. I took the seat at the far end of the table. I was slightly surprised when Jasmine joined us at the table, it was so long ago since our last family meeting. Or family anything.

"We figured it would be easiest to tell you kids together," she started. "And I warn you, it is some big news to take in."

Already I wanted to leave. My mother's sickly sweet voice never dropped a pitch as she spoke, always holding an underlying bite to it.

"You father and I have decided that we needed a bit of a break, and work is picking up, as you two know." Sure as hell we know.

It was rare to see either one of our parents outside their offices or head deep in paperwork. And the paychecks kept rising, giving them an excuse to think we were satisfied.

Jasmine spoke up next. "Wait, what are you guys saying. You're not divorcing are you?" The nervousness in her tone affected me as well; could this be the reason behind the family meeting?

My mom shook her head. "Of course not dear, don't you think such a thing. Its just," she looked over at her husband for advice and he gave her a thumbs up. "We think we all need a vacation, at least for a little while with all that's going on. So me and your father agreed that it's best if we visited Vlad's for a while."

"Wait, what?" I asked, completely bewildered. Why would our parents want to see him, least on a vacation. The old man had done nothing for us in our time of need. The billionaire straight out refused to lend us money during dept, even if dad said they were the best of buddies.

"Yes Danny. You kids will like it there, and that way we can get out work done and have some more stability. It will only be for the summer kids, and then we'll be back together before school."

"Wait." Jasmine said. "You're not coming with us?" Her tone made our parents wince and look at each other.

"Don't worry Jazzy-pants. You can still write to us and all that, it's just a short break is all." My dad comforted with a spoon full of fudge in his beefy hand.

Jazz's face turned red, from anger of hurt I didn't know, and she stormed off without a word. I watched her stomp up the stairs with her pricey pastel skirt bellowing behind her.

"You're serious aren't you." My mom just gave me a sympathetic look with a hint of annoyance.

"Its nothing you did sweetie, it's just work and-"

"I know," I cut her off, standing. "I've heard it all before. Just tell me when we leave." With that I stalked off toward my room, my stomach boiling.

I crashed into my bed face first, fisting the comforter. The stars and rockets hanging from my ceiling swayed in the breeze, the hints of summer warming the room. I huffed and glared angrily at the walls, wishing that my anger was kicking at my parents. It was one thing to send your children away for a night, or maybe a week. But a whole summer, that was practically disowning.

For a picture perfect family this family held a lot of flaws. One of them being everything. Take the money off our name, take the fancy things we owned, and pull the smile off our pictures and you would see the true people living here. We paint our smiles on our faces and play our roles, no one truly knowing the dysfunction held inside the walls.

It was no wonder our parents were tired of us, we took up space. Once they got tired of something they shipped it away, it's how they work. Soon my dad will realize that he's tired of hitting on every woman at the local bar and come home to his wife. Someday my mother will wake up and realize that she's tired of conning businesses and work for what she needs, legally. One day my family will realize that all we do is tear each other apart.

One day someone will look through the curtains.

I grabbed my phone and sent a quick message to Sam and Tucker, telling them to log onto _Doomed. _If I couldn't take my anger out of people them virtual villains were the second best.

I spent hours battling monsters and cyborgs while night fell, purposely avoiding dinner. It was mere hours before morning that I fell asleep. Just a week left of that prison called school before I'm shipped off into yet another prison. With a man I just barely know and sister who barely knows me.

What a vacation to look forward to.

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*_And there we have it, a short little thing I came up with at two in the morning. Woe is me. If you like this and I get some reviews it'll be continued, just something I thought of listening to Dollhouse. A really great song, if your interested. Tell me what you thought! Sorry for any mistakes, I'm a suck writer._

Thanks for reading bbys!


	2. i'm not crazy!

**I'm Not Crazy!**

_I don't own DP_

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"Regret," he muttered softly, "they call it regret."

He rocked forward and slowly back, and repeated the motion. His back lightly thumping against the wall. "Regrets."

The older teen cocked her head and bit her lip, bright hair falling over her shoulder. "He's been like this for hours," she said, narrowing her eyes. "I'm not sure what triggered him."

Maddie nodded at her daughter and turned back to her notebook. She scribbled some more notes in messy ink before turning back to the scene. Her son sat against the wall whilst rocking himself. He fell back into one of his 'fits' as they called it. Jazz had found him half hysterical after school, mumbling once again about the creatures in his head.

"Thirteen, " he mumbled, "thirteen's unlucky, yeah, unlucky."

Jazz turned to her, worry in her eyes. "Mom."

Maddie nodded knowingly again and picked up her phone. After being sent to voicemail for the third time she set it down and shook her head. "He won't answer, and we can't do much until your father gets home." Maddie glanced at Danny curled next to the couch. "I think it's best to ride this one out Jasmine."

Jazz looked like she wanted to argue but shut her mouth. It was devastating watching her little brother look so petrified. She tried to understand his mind, she really did, but the concept was much too complex for her to imagine. Maybe her mom was right, maybe they could wait out the next hour. It wasn't as bad as before, when just minutes after he got home he fell into his delusions, shouting at her and the air. She was thankful for Maddie having a short work day unlike her dad, who was due to come home after dinner.

Jack and Maddie found it hard to balance their high working jobs as scientists with their ill son, and not to mention Jazz who was in the process of choosing her college.

"Yeah," Jazz agreed. "Dad'll be home soon, right?"

"He should be. That man never takes out his phone, I swear Jazz." Maddie ranted. "Hard to tell if he really knows how to turn the darn thing on."

Jazz laughed and sat at the table, Danny still in her line of vision. "Still it'd be better if dad could pick up his medicine _before _work some time." She started unpacking her school work onto the table, she figured she'd get her work done while she had time.

Maddie took a seat in the living room near Danny, who was curled up next to the couch. She reached down a hand and let it rest of his tense shoulder. He scrunched his eyes and buried his head in his knees, once again rocking.

Maddie sighed and resisted turning on the television. It was best to keep the house quiet she reasoned. She wasn't about to lie to herself, she and everyone else knew that it's been a hard year. Jack, being the incredible being he was, managed a promotion. Meaning longer work hours and less time with the kids.

Their bills were through the roof, especially Danny's hospital bills. The stress was high in the Fenton household. Maddie was broken out of her thoughts as the front door swung open.

Jack sauntered into through the door and dropped his coat and bag. "Guess who's home!" he sang. Jazz ran forward and gave him a hug, rambling on about her day. Maddie shared a knowing look with him and he tossed her a brown bag.

"Got the prescription like you asked, how's he holding up, Mads."

"Been better, dear." she said motioning behind her.

At Jack's request she started a late dinner while he tried to soothe their son. It's been a week with Danny's new medicine, doing nothing but strengthening his hallucinations.

Thankfully Jazz was there to help him catch up on missed school work, from days spent in the hospital on observations and tests. The doctors said it was odd to have someone so young diagnosed with something so tragic. But not as tragic as having a schizophrenic son.

Maddie could recall the exact the day they were told of his condition and the exact reaction they all had. It caused them trouble, but made them stronger in a way. They were all dependent on one another in an odd way.

It was pure luck that the night went on without incident. A late dinner was served, minus one member, and everyone was fast to bed. Well, almost everyone.

Danny sat on his bed twirling his fingers. He was still edgy from his earlier attack when the voices got a bit too loud. His eyes traced the boxes twirling in his room haloed in a blue light. The ghost was nowhere to be seen, but he knew he was there. He named this one Box Ghost, as it always twirled it's cardboard boxes around his room. He knew it was another hallucination but that didn't help him sleep that night.

He flinched as one seemed to pass through his body, appearing behind him.

"Dang it," he whispered and pulled the duvet over his head. He could still hear the boxes banging on the walls and sailing over his head, and the Box Ghost's obnoxious laughter in the house.

It was humiliating to break down in front of his parents, but it was better than in public. His friends stopped hanging out with him after he freaked out at them. Honestly it was a mistake, some twisted thoughts his mind made up. He was already a freak at school, there was nothing left but to accept it this point.

He gave up convincing himself that ghosts were real and everyone was wrong. He knew he was sick, but it was hard to accept. Basically at this point everything just goes downhill. He really wishes to wake up one day to his alarm and not the screaming in his mind or the suggestions whispered in his ears.

Danny pushed the pillow over his ears and hoped for rest, but instead spending the night wide awake. As usual. He really hates that Box Ghost.

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_**A/N:** aaaaand scene! Just a short lil' thing I came up with. Getting back into the writing mood, this is just a bit of a filler :) (i'm no doctor, i just went by with what i know, okay?)_

_Thanks for reading loves!_


	3. maybe a bit crazy

**Maybe a bit crazy**

_Everyone thinks that we're perfect, please don't let them look through the curtains._

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As it turns out my parents weren't bluffing. Oh no, this was completely real, and completely unfair.

The long hours of driving were spent in silence, nothing new with my family. My parents had us up and out the door the second school ended, giving me small time to say my goodbyes. Jazz had flat out refused to go on a state trip with my father at the wheel. A good call on her part.

So here I sat in the mere hours of the morning in 'Uncle Vlad's' driveway. I watched my mom converse with Vlad, with my dad talking excitedly over his shoulder.

"I'm sure they won't be too much trouble, Vlad." I heard my mom say. "They know how to behave, and I expect them on their best behavior."

I groaned as Jazz pulled me out of the car. The last thing I wanted was for my parents to leave us with this creep. It was no secret that the man was insane, I mean, I've only been to his mansion once. And that surely was enough, with his obsessive Packers' obsession, and eerie attitude.

"Cheer up Daniel," Vlad spoke, walking up to me. "I'm sure you'll enjoy yourself here." The billionaire gave a forced grin and lead my parents to the van. Jazz and I watched them pull out of the driveway with half hearted waves.

_This is where the torture begins_, I thought as I was lead inside.

I was immediately assaulted with gold and green, everywhere I turned merchandise lay. Vlad calmly lead us around the mansion, and I would be lying if I said I wasn't impressed. The man owned more rooms than half our block.

"You two are welcome to venture around your floor, and I'll find that someone brings up your bags. Any questions?" I kept my mouth shut, unlike Jazz who shot up her hand.

Catching herself she awkwardly lowered it and cleared her throat. "Oh, um. Dad mentioned you three were college buddies. Do you still study the paranormal? He said you three did all kinds of inventions together."

The billionaire hesitated. "Yes. I guess you could say that, I keep my studies aside my work. I do own multiple companies you know." I scoffed at his bragging.

"Can't be that busy if you have time for us."

Vlad smirked. "How nice of you to speak up. If you may know I have some time to spare. Keep up your attitude young man and I might rethink my decision, hmm."

With that Vlad handed us off to some maids who took us to our rooms, gracefully ditching us.

"Man's psychotic I say." I grumbled and flopped onto my bed. Jazz was already unpacking her clothes next to me.

"Don't be such a grump Danny. We're lucky to even _know _Vlad Masters, much less live with him." She said. "Besides, its only for the summer. Loosen up and you might enjoy it."

"Whatever." I had to admit, the room was nice anyway. Jazz's bed was on the far side of the room, twice the size of our living room. My twin bed was, disgustingly, green and gold. Figures.

I made a quick change into my night clothes, took my multicolored pills, and hopped into bed. I was asleep before the light went off.

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Vlad was no idiot, he knew what to look out for. Taking Jack's offer to watch his children was much out of his comfort zone. Having the idiot's children anywhere near his home left a bitter taste in his mouth.

He was told that the boy was a bit, how should he put it, unbalanced. And with that snoop of a sister he had Vlad had every right to be wary. Vlad was a smart man, that much everyone knew. He knew how to get his way and how to twist other's.

Vlad paced the length of his lab, filled with equipment for various experiments. He could always try and forget what the buffoon did to him years ago and enjoy his time with his guests, but that was easier said then done. He thought they got their karma, he invested in multiple companies, owned most departments, and was too rich for his own good. But now knowing how well the Fentons' were getting, well, that left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It was no secret that the scientists made good money, he could see that much in Maddie's clothing. Yet, it was perplexing to Vlad why they would entrust him with their children, during the summer none the less.

"Blast it," he cursed and fell into his chair. He'd have to keep a good eye on those teenagers. That brainy sister and smart mouthed brat could stumble upon his work any day. And that was the last thing he needed. He spend a majority of the night tinkering with his work, gadgets and machines. It was all too soon that he was woken by his alarm, and he took his time going down for breakfast.

Daniel was the first to see him that morning, giving him no more than a glance and taking his seat.

"Good morning uncle Vlad." Vlad was greeted by an overenthusiastic red-head. Jazz was already in her seat by the time the butler put out their plates. The morning was quiet except for Jasmine's chatter.

"I think we should all do something together today. Maybe you should give us a longer tour. "Jazz said in between bites. "I heard you have a pool, how cool is that Danny?"

Daniel shrugged, practically ignoring her.

"I thinks it'll be a grand idea for you two to explore around outside. I, on the other hand, have some paperwork to finish." Jasmine seemed to like this idea as she practically pulled her brother out the door after breakfast. Vlad tried the ignore the growing headache between his eyes and he gathered his things and headed for his office.

Pulling open the lever he stepped into his lab, locking the door tight behind him. He walked over to the end of the room and removed a sheet stapled to the wall. The hole in the wall was a mixture of wires and metal beams, an absolute wreck. He gathered his tools and set to work, it was no use putting off this invention another day, he had a deadline.

He pulled out two canisters filled with ectoplasm, high concentrated and highly toxic. Vlad snapped on his gloves and set to work with filling the machine. It was tricky to get such chemicals on such short notice, but luckily he had tight ties with the government officials. He was well into his work when he heard rapping on his office door. Startled he threw his work down, took off his gloves and hollered up the stairs.

"Wait a moment!" Vlad gathered himself and quickly left his lab, adrenaline pumping through his body. Jazz stood on the other end of the door, panting.

"Uncle Vlad, Danny needs you," she said, her mouth pulled tight. "He needs you _now."_

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**_A/N:_**_ here we have it. Another chapter! It's a bit short I think, eh, I wanted to get something out for you guys. I'm overwhelmed, I love hearing from you guys! Thank you for all the nice reviews, I'm glad you enjoy. I know I took forever to update *ahem* two months, buuut that suck streak ended. Tell me what you thought of this! :)_

_Ah, now onto writing the next chapter, see you guys soon!_


	4. Carousal

**Don't own DP.**

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This is where I make my entrance, my big beginning, my first impression. How's this for you; I don't have one.

It is not my job to make you feel welcome, or to guarantee you a nice ride, oh no, I'm just here to push it along. To move the story from point _a_ to point _b_. You may have seen me, in the background, not worth a second glance. And you were right, I was not worth a second look, because I was not needed then.

I come in where I'm needed, I play the part I need to play just to get the story moving. It's not up to me to make the plot or be the bad guy, no, I'll leave that for someone else. Where I make my mark is up to you, what part of your life did I affect? Am I still in it, or have I moved on to someone else's?

I may linger in your thoughts, but, not for long. I'm not meant to be remembered, and I'm certainly not meant to be missed.

We'll start this off simple, as always. I'll introduce myself, I'll wander into your life for a while, and I'll leave. Simple, plain and simple. Except for your part. You need to either accept me or deny me, I never said whether I'm helpful or not. Maybe I'm meant to be the protagonist of your story, if so, how bad am I? How bad do you want me gone, or how long do you need me in your tale?

Here's your first clue, my name's Phantom. And you'll never need anything more than you'll need me.

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Jazz practically dragged me into the yard, which I had to admit was huge. She pulled me along the gardens and fountains, beaming at the sight of the pool. In all honesty I wasn't as excited as she.

I just couldn't wait for her to let me retreat back to our room, where I least had to worry about bumping into Vlad. "Isn't this cool Danny?" Jazz said, standing under the gazebo.

"M'yeah, I guess. Why do we need to spend the morning outside? There's a whole house to explore you know."

"Don't be silly, we can do that later." Well, there went that tactic. Jazz pulled me under the wooden gazebo and pointed at the sky.

"Look at the clouds, I bet you could do some awesome star gazing out here." She had a point, I could never see many constellations under our town sky.

Jazz and I stood watching the Wisconsin sky and enjoying the weather. I had the full intention on spending the summer off with Sam and Tucker, and to be honest I still want to. This would be the first summer break of my highschool life, this was supposed to be the year I went to the vacation parties and climbed higher on the social ladder. Instead I'm states away stuck in a fruitloop's mansion. Did I mention I had no connection to my friends? It seemed that my parents wanted me to suffer a little more by taking away my electronics, saying something about 'quality time with Vladdie', and 'technology's rotting your mind, anyway'.

"Danny? Are you listening to me?" I looked over at Jazz, she looked annoyed. "Really, little brother." She sighed. "As I was saying, I think you should give this place a chance. You might like it here, and Vlad's a pretty cool guy. Who knows, we might be back here next year."

"Fantastic." I grumbled. I crossed my arms and leaned against the railing. I watched as Jazz soaked up the sun's rays, more relaxed then I've seen her in a while.

'_You wonder why she's stressed.' _I almost jumped but I bit my lip. I took a breath and sat on a bench, clenching my hands.

'_Constantly worrying over her little brother, her little problem.' _I tried to ignore the familiar voice in my head, more of a pest than anything. He chuckled in my mind. '_I wonder how much longer you can keep up this act, Fenton." _The voice said. '_When will Uncle Vlad learn how mad you truly are, hm?' _

"That's enough," I whisper, almost inaudible. I hear Jazz stepping off the gazebo and into a patch of flowers behind the railing, I watch her bend down and twirl the petals between her fingers.

'_Let's play a game Fenton. One spider, two spiders, three spiders, four," _he chuckled. I'm confused until I feel a tingling on my arms. I am horrified to see bugs crawling up my arms, multiplying by the second. I hold my breath and close my eyes, trying to convince myself that it wasn't real. I can feel the imaginary legs on my arms and feel them in my hair.

The voice chuckles again in my mind before going silent.

"Danny? Are you okay?"

My hands are numb as the insects crawl under my clothes. The sun seems all too hot on my skin and the air weighs a million pounds. My breathing picks up.

"Danny?" Suddenly Jasmine's hand is on mine. I jerk away and onto my feet. I open my eyes to her careful face. I back away and stumble on the gazebos' edge.

"Stay off me," I rub my arms, " don't touch me!" She grabs my arms.

"Danny, stop! It's me, _Danny!"_

I fumble with Jazz as she takes my arms and bolt the other way. I can feel my legs carrying me into the woods and through the trees. Jazz's voice echos in the distance. The trees pass me in a blur. The tingling on my body is gone, replaced my adrenaline. I'm running until I'm wheezing and I stop at a clearing, both hands on my knees.

Suddenly, I heard leaves crushing behind me. I spin around, slightly panicked. "Who's there?"

"_Danny?"_

I see a figure step out from the woods. "_It's alright, it's me. Why are you crying?"_

I wipe a hand over my eyes and glare at the hallucination. "I-I don't know." I take a step forward. "Why are you here?" The figure takes a step toward me, until we're almost face to face.

"Why are you here!" I scream. He chuckles.

"_Because you need me here." _He take my face in his hands. "_Who better else than your closest friend, Phantom? You feel safer with me." _

I feel the world start to spin and I might throw up. Phantom take a step back and his face morphs into one of confusion. "_Danny, did you know there are bugs in your hair."_

"Where?" My hands fly to my head and I frantically pull. I'm panicking as I twist and tug my hair, hoping to get rid of the pests, real or not. Phantom grabs my shoulders.

"_Danny. What are you doing?"_

"T-the bugs. The bugs…"

"_What bugs? What are you talking about Danny?"_

I pull my hands off my head in confusion, and I stare at him. Phantom cocks his head and grins, patting my shoulder. "_You're so funny, Danny. You're a funny boy, real fun, real funny. So, why did you run, Danny?"_

I stare at him.

"_Why did you run? Answer me!" _And suddenly, he's angry. He turns away with a growl and walks over to a tree. "_I should just leave you, you know. I could just leave your life forever Danny! You could be alone, Danny!" _He screams.

And then, I am crying again. "No!" I holler. "Don't go! Just, just stay with me. I ran to get away, Phantom. I ran to get away! You know this!" Phantom looks at me, tear streaked and begging.

He walks up to me and holds my shoulders once again, I can feel his imaginary breath on my ear. "_You know Danny, you look pretty funny talking to yourself."_

And I'm alone. I turn in a circle and search up and down. No Phantom. There was no Phantom to begin with. I sit down on a nearby boulder with my head in my hands. A headache was blossoming behind my eyes. Phantom was one I chose to hold onto. Those other ghosts, or rather figments of my imagination, were easy to pick apart. I could tell who was real and who was fake, I could keep my sanity intact.

Phantom is the one I let stay with me and persuade me. He is one I told everybody I let go, but he is always there, always tinkering with my thoughts. Not always in a bad way, but never truly in the best way. I imagine him looking a bit like me in a way. A contrast version, with his stark white hair and neon eyes, he's always dressed the same as me. I'm not sure what that means, then again, I don't know what any of this means.

I slide off the boulder and lay in the damp leaves, the sun shining bright over my head. I close my eyes and let the forest overtake me, and my head is purely quiet. Something that never happens. I take and breath in, and let it out. Because now I'm done running. It's time to let the world catch up.

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**_A/N: _**_I'm quite proud of this chapter guys. I hope you enjoyed and I love hearing from you Loves. Now onto writing the next chappie. :)_


	5. running

**I don't own DP**

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"_It's time to get up, Danny." _He is shaken. "_It is time to go _now, _Danny." _He opens his eyes to bright green orbs. He slowly sits up and brushes the leaves of his clothes. He almost accepted the helping hand of Phantom but thought better of it.

"I wonder how long I was out," he muttered, turning in a circle. "Looks about noon." Phantom's imaginary form appeared before him with his signature smirk.

"_You're right for once, Danno, only an hour, at most. Hey," _he piped up, "_want to play another game?"_

"Absolutely not."

"_C'mon, Danny, this one's fun. I promise." _Phantom winked. "_This one you'll enjoy. It's called, _Ghost in the Graveyard."

"I'm not interested." Danny deadpanned. The hallucination continued as if were ignoring him.

"_You know how to play, the players find the ghost, like a reverse 'Hide and Seek,' yeah? And the fun part is: you're the ghost!" _Phantom laughed and twirled around the boy, clutching his stomach. "_And everyone is the players. So, are you ready Danny?"_

Danny glared weakly at Phantom before stomping off into the forest, clearly done with his mind's playmate.

"_I guess that's a _yes _then, you're not heading back to the mansion." _

"Of course I'm not going back there. There's no point. Here I am talking to myself in the middle of the forest, like a freak." Phantom snickered and floated on his back, heads behind his head.

"_Guess that makes two of us." _The 'ghost' said. "_So, lets get this game started! I know where we can go."_

Danny stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"_You know, where we can hide, where we can get a head start in the game."_

"This isn't a- Phantom, seriously, I'm not hiding anywhere. There is no game and there are no players, I'm just-"

"_Just what Danny? Where are we going?" _Danny was silent for a moment before he started a brisk pace.

"Nowhere, we're going nowhere."`

"_That's fun." _A solid thirty minutes were spent in silence, except for the jabs and taunting thrown by Phantom. Danny resisted holding his ears, he knew it would do no good, as it was all in his head. He trekked through growth and logs with no destination in mind, only away from the mansion. He no longer cared if his sister wanted him, she didn't _need _him.

He eventually came to an opening to a small road, vacant as far as he could see. Phantom lingered above his head, pointing out random landmarks and laughing at animals. Phantom was by far the most temperamental being he'd made up, one moment being borderline violent and the next incredibly joyful. Danny followed the road for a while, kicking stones and listening to Phantom's blabbering. He was stupid to not bring a backpack, or at the very least some food. But it was unplanned, it was an escape he didn't know he needed.

"_Look." _Ahead of Danny was a small bar, wooden and rotting, but stable by the looks of it. Danny counted three trucks parked in the dirt parking lot, and he debated leaving and waiting for a gas station. Against his better judgment he pushed open the door, the bell ringing above his head.

"Well, look who we got here," a man said, rounding the corner of the bar, " I don't suppose we know you around here, kid." Danny set his jaw and walked around the man, scrunching his nose at the alcoholic sent. He took a seat on the nearest bar stool, trying to ignore the eyes on the back of his head. The man was back behind the counter, a practiced smirk on his lips.

Danny squinted at the menu. "Water, please." He took his given glass and looked up to the stranger, now leaning over the counter.

"You lost, kid?" He shook his head. "Hum, then you must just be plain stupid." Danny found it ironic that Phantom now disappeared, just went he needed a distraction and familiar face.

"I-I need to borough a map."

The man gave him a strange look, taking a long drag from his cigarette. "That's a new one. Just where are you running off to kid."

"I'm," he swallowed, "I'm not running."

He laughed. "Look kid, no one wanders into my shed without being hopelessly lost or stupid. You look to be about both. I can give you a map, a ride even, but you gotta give me something in return."

Danny felt chills run down his back. He clutch his glass tight, feeling droplets roll down his fingers. "I don't need a ride, and I don't need to give you anything."

The stranger leaned forward. "Neither do I, kid." The man pulled of his old apron and rounded the bar, taking a seat on a wooden table. Three people sat around the circle table, each sporting a cigar and a smirk. Danny gathered himself and hopped off the stood, standing in front of the trio.

"Well, I guess he's not the brightest." The woman of the three spoke up, her red hair contrasting with her leather clothes. The smallest of the three grinned and nodded his head, sporting an interesting updo.

"I don't have anything to give you."

The man spoke. "Oh I think you do. You got time on your hands kid, that's all I need."

A moment later Danny found himself in the back of the bar, trying not to inhale the many cobwebs and dust.

"There's a reason I brought you back here." The man said. "I need you to keep quiet 'bout this, got it?" Danny nodded.

"Here," he handed Danny a folded paper, he guessed it was his needed map. "I need you to take a trip for me. A few towns over, you should have no problem getting there assuming you know how to take a bus. Give this to Claire, she works at the local club, down near the tracks." He handed him a package roughly the size of his hand. "Tell her Dane sent you, got it kid?"

"Got it." He said, almost to himself.

"Think of this as a favor for a favor, kid. Now get lost, yeah? You don't exactly fit in at this old place."

"Thank you. How-how will you know she got it? Why do you trust me with this?"

The man, now know as Dane, smiled. A genuine smile. "Because you're too stupid to mess this up. Now get outta here, kid." Danny made his way out of the bar with vigor. The atmosphere getting to him. He stuffed the package into his back pocket and pulled open his map. He traced the path from Vlad's mansion to the woods to where he guessed he was. If his map reading skills were correct he should soon find a train.

He sighed and started his walk in a daze of sorts. "_Well, it's official. You're a runaway!"_

Danny didn't even flinch at Phantom's voice.

"_You know trains cost money, right? I heard some even travel down to Florida, that's wicked."_

"We're not going to Florida."

Phantom smirked. "_I'd love to hear where were going then, mr know-it-all."_

Danny took a deep breath and looked at the setting sun. "I need to take make a few stops, but we're going far. Really, really far."

"_That's vague, you know." _

"But first," he said, ignoring Phantom. "I need some cash. So let's stop stalling." And with that Danny jogged the rest of the way to the highway, where he slept at the bus stop. And come morning, he needed a ticket and a way to the closest train station.

It was time he ran away, and started fresh. Before someone saw through the curtains.

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_**A/N: **Welp, here it is. I hope this was ok, I have better plans later on, promise. Thanks for reading bbys :)_

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**A/N: **_ I'm not at all satisfied with this chapter. I apologize for the late update, this is a bit rushed I think. But, I hope you enjoy my failure(s) and look forward to the next chapter! _

_Please review and all that jazz!_


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